Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless communication networks exchange wireless data with User Equipment (UE) to provide mobile data services to users. When a UE registers with the LTE network on behalf of a user, the LTE network queries a Home Subscriber System (HSS) database to obtain information related to communication services for the UE. In particular, the HSS yields Access Point Names (APNs) that initiate default bearers for the communication services. The APNs initiate communication services, such as Internet access, Voice over LTE, user provisioning, live video streaming, and the like. In some cases, the user provisioning service allows for user control based on the Extensible Mark-up Language Configuration Access Protocol (XCAP).
The HSS is used to block the communication services by disabling the APN for a blocked service. If a user fails to pay for past network usage, then the APNs for non-emergency services such as Internet browsing, are typically disabled in the HSS for that user's UE. When the UE subsequently registers with the LTE network or visits another network, the HSS does not yield any APNs that would initiate a blocked service.
In some wireless communication networks, the user's wireless device has control settings for mobile data services. For example, a user can operate their device to turn off mobile data services while retaining voice calling services. In particular, the user may specify a device setting to disable mobile data when roaming. Unfortunately, the ability of the user to control mobile data services in LTE networks is not efficient or effective.
Overview
A Long Term Evolution (LTE) network receives a registration request from User Equipment (UE) for a user and accesses a data structure to identify a mobile data Access Point Name (APN) and an Internet Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) APN for the user. The data structure may reside in a Home Subscriber System (HSS). The LTE network establishes and maintains a mobile data bearer responsive to the mobile data APN. The LTE network establishes and maintains an IMS bearer responsive to the IMS APN. The LTE network receives a first user instruction to disable the mobile data service and responsively releases the mobile data bearer and modifies the data structure to disable the mobile data APN. An IMS server system exchanges messages with the UE over the IMS bearer when the mobile data service is disabled. The LTE network configured receives a second user instruction to enable the mobile data service and responsively modifies the data structure to enable the mobile data APN for the UE.